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Monday, September 9, 2013

The Queensway Visits the Forest Hills Greenmarket

I was happy to see QueensWay representatives with a stall at the market a few weeks ago, discussing with residents the proposal for the borough's very own elevated Park. (I am planning to do a post focusing more on the Queensway soon, with additional information, since there were some interesting developments just before the visit from Mumford overshadowed everything.)

It was great to see residents really seemed interested in the idea for this new elevated park, as you can see from the photos:

Queens has so many great parks (Flushing Meadows, Forest Park, etc) which have been left to decay. Why should we expect Queensway to do any better. It would be good if our politicians would take care of what we already have.

"Queensway" just sounds boring to begin with. Can we get something a bit more cool? Also will need enough foot traffic so we can stick together for safety! We don't necessarily need something exactly like the high line, but an urban park would be a good addition to the nabe.

It would be boring indeed, because it would be a thin strip atop and earth-berm with steep downward-sloping sides, with no way in or out along the way because it directly abuts private property. If people would educate themselves about this proposal even slightly, they would see what a boondoggle this project really is.

While I personally like the concept of Rails to Trails, I would much rather see whatever resources are available be directed to maintaining our current recreational infrastructure. It generally pisses me off to see public facilities being neglected by a lack of basic maintenance. Yes it would be great to have new facilities made available, but I would much rather see what we have properly cared for. Let the old spur go wild, we would still benefit from having the existing green buffer.

Thank you! It is very wild already, dense with mature trees which would have to be chopped down to make way for Queensway. As it is, it's filled with birds and little beasts and makes lots of oxygen for us. Isn't that worth something?

I still believe there is much more value in reactivating the rail line, either as part of the LIRR or (more preferably) as a subway, so that we Forest Hills residents have an easier way of reaching Brooklyn. With the R tube out of commission until essentially 2015 and the G tube still needing work on weekends, our options are limited in the long term and REALLY limited in the short term.

Again, people, educate yourselves! A rail line could not go anywhere. The abandoned tracks terminate at the LIRR in a deep gully. On the other side of the LIRR there are now privately-owned apartment buildings. Plus, where would the stations be? This line abuts private property for its whole length. It is just a ridiculous idea. Take a walk along Selfridge Ave, Thornton, and Alderton to see for yourself.

The Queensway is a horrible idea. That corridor desperately needs rail, especially to/from JFK and the Rockaways.

I suspect the folks pushing the Queensway don't actually want the park, but view it as a way to preclude reactivating the rail line. There isn't really a need for the park (Forest Park is underutilized, and there's lots of open space in the vicinity), it isn't really close to points of interest, and the surrounding area is relatively low density.